Nikita: Maggie Q and Shane West on What's to Come

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We talk to "Mikita" about Season 1's big ending and where things might go next season.

By Eric Goldman

Like the rest of my fellow Nikita fans, I was extremely happy to learn that the show had been renewed for a second season. On the heels of that renewal announcement, I spoke to Nikita stars Maggie Q and Shane West at CW's Upfront last week in New York, to get their thoughts on the end of Season 1 and where Season 2 could take their characters. And, as you'll see, to talk about Members Only jackets!

IGN TV: When you began this show a year ago, could you possibly imagine how quickly things would move?

Maggie Q: It's a different show now, it really is, from where we started to where we are. And that's what [Nikita showrunner] Craig [Silverstein] promised. He did say that by the end of the first season, you won't recognize these characters. You won't believe where they've come from and where they're going. And he did it!

Shane West: That's about all I knew. He said that and he stuck to that, but I really didn't know all of that was going to happen in one year. Because it could have been dragged out. I mean, there's so many different ways that you could have done it. And it was so action-packed and it was really exciting and kept us on our toes all the time.

Shane West and Maggie Q in Nikita

IGN: How much do you know about where it will go next season? Nikita and Michael are out there together somewhere. Do you think we'll just jump back into the action?

Maggie Q: Well, knowing Craig the way I do, we are going to jump right into Season 2, in a big way. Hopefully Danny Cannon will come back, who directed the pilot, and do the first episode of Season 2. I'm going to send him threatening emails! And then after that… I was making fun of Craig, because in the last scene, Michael and Nikita, they sort of drive off and the idea is that they stopped off at a Walmart or something and she bought a t-shirt and he bought a Members Only jacket. [Laughs]

West: That's right. [Shaking Head] My choice: Members Only.

Maggie Q: So I said to Craig, "We are not starting Season 2 in these clothes!" He goes, "Oh no, oh no!"

West: Yeah, I was a little worried about that too. We'll fast forward a day!

Maggie Q: I Think you can expect the first two episodes of Season 2 to be kind of explosive, mind-blowing stuff, just like how we ended it. We're going to keep the momentum. I know that sounds weird, because there's such a big gap. But definitely, it's going to be nuts!

Back during Michael and Nikita's less friendly days

IGN: Are you excited to show Michael and Nikita's dynamic, now that Michael doesn't have to keep returning to Division?

West: Oh yeah. They're together now!

Maggie Q: Even though Shane looks sexy in a suit, it's going to be nice to have him [with me].

West: What am I gonna wear now?

Maggie Q: Something hot! I'll pick it.

West: Members Only.

Maggie Q: Members Only. Constantly.

West: Over and over and over again! Yeah, I think you can see that dynamic between them without Division being a part of it. I think that's going to be part of what's so lovely about it and also what's going to be so difficult about it.

Maggie Q: It's not just Division now. I think you're going to see Percy go into a different world. You're going to see Amanda be in a different world with Alex. There are new threats. There are going to be other threats that pop up too. So you're going to have like these five different, 'Holy s**t, what's happening?' groups. And so Michael and Nikita… it's gonna be rough! It's going to be hard. They're most wanted, these two.

New CW president Mark Pedowitzand Maggie Q at CW's Upfront

IGN: It took a while for us to see Nikita and Alex working together on screen, but now that's shifted again.

Maggie Q: Big time.

IGN: You were both mentor figures for Alex, but now you're completely split off from her. Do you think Michael and Nikita might be able to slowly repair that?

West: I don't know. We've got to still see what happens with all that. What happens for Alex. But with her character, that was a lot of the plot of that last episode, was she had to make her own decisions. So she's making her decision - that's where she's going to take her life. We've made our decision. We're going our way. That's why we left everything kind of open-ended. It's hard to see what's going to happen.

Maggie Q: It's interesting, the student becoming the sort of antagonistic character. The student will try to defy the master. Always. That sort of always happens. It's going to be interesting to explore. The thing that I love about this show is that there can't really be any judgment, because they all have a past. Alex less so than anyone else, but what she had to swallow, because of what Nikita did [to her father], obviously wasn't her choice. But because of what Nikita actually, physically did, Alex has got to come to terms with, 'What do I do? Do I live with that? Do I forgive it?' And it's something they've all had to do.

It's why Nikita can work with Owen. Because she can't really judge what he did, because she's done it a million times. And as much as it hurts her, it's part of who they are. And there's a huge theme of forgiveness that has to happen a lot in this show. And so it would be nice for that to come full circle, but you never know. Because someone as young as her, which is why we chose a character that young, can move in a different direction.